Month: March 2018

‘Journey’s End’ delivers an affecting, timeless war story

Jeff Mitchell

“Journey’s End” – “Most war films tend to be about men, and this, I think, is about how men deal with fear.” – Saul Dibb Since “Journey’s End” is a war film, the title implies that the on-screen soldiers’ story will most likely conclude on the battlefield.  They might rise in victory or suffer agony (or worse) in defeat, and judging from the first few minutes of director Saul Dibb’s movie, an ominous silent drumbeat points to the latter. Set in 1918 France, World War I will soon end, although…

Despite a great cast and message, ‘Finding Your Feet’ trips

Jeff Mitchell

“Finding Your Feet” – “You make feel like dancing.  I’m gonna dance the night away.”  – Leo Sayer, October 1976 Sandra (Imelda Staunton) has not felt like dancing in decades.  Thirty-five years to be exact.  Now, she has enjoyed her marriage to Mike (John Sessions) for that said amount of time, but dancing was never a priority for him and therefore, not a priority for her.  Dancing – her childhood passion – just tucked itself away into a distant place in her brain, sitting next to her belief in Santa…

Celebrate Brendan Gleeson’s birthday with one of his best performances in ‘Calvary’

Jeff Mitchell

Brendan Gleeson turns 63 on March 29, and why not celebrate his birthday with one of his best performances!   In “Calvary” (2014), Gleeson plays a good and decent priest, who unfortunately is living under extreme duress in small seaside Irish community.   Although scenic beauty surrounds him at every winding, country road turn, almost all of the townspeople constantly spew hostility in his direction. The biggest danger, however, comes from a man who enters his confessional box and threatens to kill him in one week’s time.   Writer/director John Michael…